What are your favourite music albums, or favourite music artists?
I am writing this because I find that I get into discussions about music so often during general threads. While songs are important for us, albums are a much fuller experience and form of art.
When I try to think about my favourite albums of all times it is hard to narrow it down, because I look for them from so many different eras. Some of my favourites include: U2 'The Unforgettable Fire', Bob Dylan 'Blood on the Tracks', David Bowie 'Aladdin Sane', The Psychedelic Furs,' Mirror Moves', The Waterboys, 'This is the Sea', The Stone Roses 'Turns to Stone', Mercury Rev 'Deserters' Songs', The Flaming Lips 'The Soft Bulletin', Daft Punk 'Random Access Memories',but I won't go on any more, and ask you what are your favourites?
When I try to think about my favourite albums of all times it is hard to narrow it down, because I look for them from so many different eras. Some of my favourites include: U2 'The Unforgettable Fire', Bob Dylan 'Blood on the Tracks', David Bowie 'Aladdin Sane', The Psychedelic Furs,' Mirror Moves', The Waterboys, 'This is the Sea', The Stone Roses 'Turns to Stone', Mercury Rev 'Deserters' Songs', The Flaming Lips 'The Soft Bulletin', Daft Punk 'Random Access Memories',but I won't go on any more, and ask you what are your favourites?
Comments (46)
Especially for those who like pigs - @Shawn :pray:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6z0RHaC0ig0
Watch the whole experience of placing on turntable, cleaning the vinyl, careful placement of the stylus, turning the LP round at half time...and listening to the simple sounds and scratchiness of the 60's.
Quoting STEVEN BRYKMAN
---------
From: https://www.discogs.com/Pinky-Perky-Pinky-Perkys-Hit-Parade/release/2913136
Track list
A1 Congratulations
A2 Hello Dolly
A3 You Can Count On Me
A4 White Horses
A5 Popo The Puppet
A6 Yellow Submarine
B1 Those Magnificent Men In Their Flying Machines
B2 Cinderella Rockefella
B3 Yummy Yummy Yummy
B4 Captain Kidd
B5 When I'm Sixty Four
B6 Rainbow Valley
'Tubular Bells' - Mike Oldfield,1973.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bv_4sZCLlr0
It was just SO different.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tubular_Bells
It's funny but I don't really have any 'favourites' of anything that I play continuously.
Way back, the single 'Break Away' by the Beach Boys - the summer of 1969...over and over...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iYATuYflXfQ
I've only started... really listening... to 'picks' by you and others recently - on the other music threads.
Amazing to have your ears opened... :flower:
So anything I post as a 'favourite' well...it is a bit of a sham, really...
Thanks - look forward to more - just whenever or wherever the mood takes ya' :cool:
You've already mentioned 'Graceland,' by Paul Simon in another thread. However, you might wish to think which music artists you find to be the most inspirational. Of course, it is so subjective and only yesterday, I was listening to a compilation by an 80s band, who I think are truly wonderful, The Icicle Works.
Lately I've given up on albums and just shuffle vintage jazz and funk on Amazon music. Yesterday it was Renaissance Lute.
For my two picks, I'll mention that these are probably my two favorite records of all time, but for that reason, I rarely listen to them. Frames by Oceansize I've probably listened to thousands of times over the past 12 years or so, and it doesn't really get old, but that being said, I don't really listen to that genre of music any more. But it's still one of the greatest for me. Laughing Stock by Talk Talk, on the other hand, is almost a spiritual revelation for me...it's a mountain top that I don't dare to climb often, if that makes sense. It's a sacred album that demands proper respect and devotion. As such, I probably listen to it about once a year. I listened to it more frequently when I first got into it, but I would say I've still only listened to it about 40 times or so over the course of 11 years. One key aspect of that record is that it's so dense that I hear several new things that I never noticed each time I listen. And it goes without saying it's a headphones record; the platonic ideal of one, really.
The 2 cassettes I listened to. Over and over. Because that's all I could afford :smile:
'Tapestry' - Carole King (1971)
'Moods' - Neil Diamond (1972)
I think that Oceansize are probably a bit underrated. I have heard some music by them in was fairly impressed. Also, I do have a compilation by Talk Talk, and think that they are treasured gem of a band, who got less attention than many other 80s bands in the time of electro.
Apparently, cassettes are making a comeback. I used to have some but they used to chew up sometimes, which used to be so stressful, so I hope this did not happen to the 2 favourite albums you mentioned.
No, they weren't chewed up just got lost along the way.
I did buy the CD version of 'Tapestry' - though like many others, it rests on the shelf...
I haven't bought any new music for quite some time. I just come here :wink:
It does seem that so many people have stopped buying music, but mainly shuffle music on their phones or computers. I do download books but I find going out and looking for CDs in music basements to be so exciting. Mind you, I accumulate pile of them, to the point where they sometimes fall into my bed. I think that I am the CD king, or have CD disease. Some people seem to think that discs don't sound as good as vinyl, but it probably just depends on having the right speakers.
Yes. Back in the day, the only choice was to buy quite expensive vinyl records, cassettes or CDs.
I don't shuffle music on my phone or computer. However, just look at what is freely available.
Complete albums on YouTube for goodness sake :yikes:
That raises other questions...financial implications for artists...
At a certain point in life - you need to get rid of 'stuff'. Possibly to make room for more.
In my case, I have been decluttering for years !
Really difficult to move things on. Especially when you inherit parents' collections, and memories.
I still have a small collection of CDs but...wonder why...cos I hardly ever listen to them...
I am constantly trying to get rid of clutter. Last year I had to move and sorting my room was so agonising. Most of the charity shops were shut. The experience really taught me that I need to prevent accumulating too much, but music is my lifeline, but I read about all the new music. The best new music I have heard this year is the new album by the seventies singer, Alice Cooper.
So, what do you like about it ?
Wow. Like Mega WOW !!!
That would have been my idea of Heaven not that long ago...
Having the space for your own library doesn't sound like a clutter but a fairly well organised collection of meaningful stuff. Not getting lost in a cloud.
So how do you arrange and keep them looking good ?
I have warned people not to give me stuff that needs to be lifted and cleaned.
Food and wine will do the trick, thanks :cool:
:100: :up:
I'm a bit of a neat freak, try to dust weekly, always put things back immediately when I'm done and broad alphabetizing – DVDs by sections & titles, CDs by genres & artists, Books (except the stacks) by sections & authors. Also I keep meticulous spreadsheets of my current and past inventories since 2002 (which I try to fill-out the day / night I purchase something new ... which has been easier during the pandemic since I've bought mostly books & music from Amazon and they generate extensive lists). I went through a buying binge from 2015 to 2019 and have slowed down considerably mostly because this (mild) pandemic depression and fear, despite the new Administration & "economic indicators", the economy is very unstable. I've been "cleaning up" my spreadsheets and shelves little by little since the New Year. I couldn't imagine living like this with another person or even pets.
I've tried to listen to Harvest with others but it made them depressed. I don't know, I guess I just like the rawness of his music.
I'm also trying to listen more to psychedelic music. Still not quite used to it though
Been trying to figure out how to approach this...still not completely satisfied, but anyway. The two albums I keep coming back to are the Beatles White Album and Nine Inch Nails The Downward Spiral. The Beatles are like the Plato of music; almost all of music has footnotes leading back to them. And the white album is just so bold with its experimentation. I’m always amazed that that music was made in the 60’s. As for NIN, that album’s concept is just executed perfectly, and all the layers, both musical and lyrical, make it feel like you’re rediscovering something every time you listen to it.
With your extensive collection, perhaps you could help me with something. I’ve discovered I’m really not a fan of Jazz, but Herbie Hancock’s Headhunters album blew my mind. Is there anything else that sounds similar to that album?
As for Head Hunters, I need to know what you like about it in order to recommend an album something like it (in my book there really aren't any others genuinely comparable from that era which reaches its level of perfection). Is it "the funk"? "the jazz-fusion"? a particular instrument / virtuoso (e.g. Herbie on electric keyboards & synths)? That will help narrow it down for me because I could send you off in a number of directions which will probably frustrate you not being a fan of jazz.
Oceansize is a band that I don't expect a lot of people to like; I'm not going to argue that they're one of the best because they're an acquired taste. Talk Talk is sort of the same, although I'm a little more fundamentalist with them; I could probably map out a dubious philosophical argument for why Laughing Stock is one of the best albums of all time. But at the end of the day, it's still an acquired taste. On the other hand, there's probably more of a cult following for Talk Talk; I'm not alone in my opinion on them.
I have only listened to the new Alice Cooper album once, so I would probably need to listen again to explain fully why I thought it was so good. However, what I was impressed with by my first one was that the vocals came over the music. I have found that in a lot of music made in the last few years so much, especially the vocals seem muffled.
You are fortunate if you can manage to be so neat and tidy. I am trying to become more tidy because that is as essential as decluttering. The room I lived in staff accommodation I was in until last year ended like an exploding heap and I ended up with more or less no floor. I definitely try to get rid of books and music which is not important any longer...
I really like Neil Young and he has just made so many albums that it is hard to hear them, and he can be extremely psychedelic, like in 'Mirror Ball'. I do like a lot of psychedelia, going back to bands like Roky Erikson and the Thirteen Elevators, The Grateful Dead, and I have a bit of a soft spot for Kula Shaker.I believe that the lead singer of Kula Shaker was influenced by Jainist philosophy.
The Beatles' 'White Album' and The Nine Inch Nails , 'The Downward Spiral is an extremely interesting combination.
A Tribute to Jack Johnson, Miles Davis (1971)
Return to Forever, Chick Corea (1972)
Thrust, Herbie Hancock (1974)
Enjoy. :cool:
Physical media is really the way to go. My last book count landed me a little under 400 books across three book shelves and a built in shelf next to my bed. I have room for just one more book shelf in my NYC apartment which I'll probably be getting later this year.
I actually only have one room to myself in a shared house, but I probably have about 3000 CDs, so perhaps I am really crazy. I have narrowed my paper books down to about 200, by using E books.
But, I just feel so sad that the bookshops and music shops are closing down. I went inside what used to be one of the biggest chains yesterday and it was so deserted. I haven't stopped buying physical music, but I certainly want to buy much less.
Thanks! :up:
Has anyone heard any really good albums for 2021 yet?
Re: favorite albums (looking back to my favorite quarter-century of music 1955-1980*) – "I can't go on, I'll go on."
:sweat:
1950s
Afro, Dizzy Gillespie (1955)
Lady Sings the Blues, Billie Holiday (1956)
Ellington At Newport, Duke Ellington (1956)
Ella & Louis, Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong (1956)
Blue Trane, John Coltrane (1957)
Here's Little Richard, Little Richard (1957)
Thelonious Monk with John Coltrane, T. Monk (1957)
Soulville, Ben Webster (1957)
Moanin', Art Blakey & The Jazz Messengers (1958)
Little Richard, Little Richard (1958)
The Best of Muddy Waters, Muddy Waters (1958)
Mingus Ah Um, Charles Mingus (1959)
Moanin' in the Moonlight, Howlin' Wolf (1959)
Giant Steps, John Coltrane (1959)
Kind of Blue, Miles Davis (1959)
The Shape of Jazz to Come, Ornette Coleman (1959)
T-Bone Blues, T-Bone Walker (1959)
Ben Webster & Associates (1959)
1960s
Howlin' Wolf, Howlin' Wolf (1962)
Night Train, Oscar Peterson, (1962)
Please Please Me, The Beatles (1963)
MoneyJungle, D. Ellington, M. Roach, C. Mingus (1963)
A Love Supreme, John Coltrane (1964)
The Sidewinder, Lee Morgan (1964)
Monk's Dream, Thelonious Monk (1964)
See You at the Fair, Ben Webster (1964)
Free For All, Art Blakey & the Jazz Messengers (1965)
Rubber Soul, The Beatles (1965)
Sinatra At The Sands, Sinatra with Count Basie (1966)
Revolver, The Beatles (1966)
Chuck Berry's Golden Decade, Chuck Berry (1966)
Real Folk Blues, Sonny Boy Williamson (1966)
Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, The Beatles (1967)
The Doors, The Doors (1967)
Strange Days, The Doors (1967)
Are You Experienced (UK), Jimi Hendrix (1967)
Are You Experienced (US), Jimi Hendrix (1967)
The Beatles, The Beatles (1968)
Electric Ladyland, The Jimi Hendrix Experience (1968)
Abbey Road, The Beatles (1969)
Led Zeppelin I, Led Zeppelin (1969)
Led Zeppelin II, Led Zeppelin (1969)
In A Silent Way, Miles Davis (1969)
Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere, Neil Young (1969)
Let It Bleed, The Rolling Stones (1969)
1970s
Bitches Brew, Miles Davis (1970)
All Things Must Pass, George Harrison (1970)
Led Zeppelin III, Led Zeppelin (1970)
Abraxas, Santana (1970)
Greatest Hits, Sly & The Family Stone (1970)
Live At Leeds, The Who (1970)
I Am the Blues, Willie Dixon (1970)
At Fillmore East, The Allman Brothers Band (1971)
Aretha's Greatest Hits, Aretha Franklin (1971)
LA Woman, The Doors (1971)Â
Blue, Joni Mitchell (1971)
Led Zeppelin IV, Led Zeppelin (1971)
A Tribute to Jack Johnson, Miles Davis (1971)
Sticky Fingers, The Rolling Stones (1971)
Santana III, Santana (1971)
Who's Next, The Who (1971)
Amazing Grace, Aretha Franklin (1972)
Return to Forever, Chick Corea (1972)
Talking Book, Stevie Wonder (1972)
Catch A Fire, Bob Marley & the Wailers (1973)
Head Hunters, Herbie Hancock (1973)
The Dark Side of the Moon, Pink Floyd (1973)
Natty Dread, Bob Marley & the Wailers (1974)
So Far, Crosby, Stills & Nash (1974)
Thrust, Herbie Hancock (1974)
It's Only Rock 'n Roll, The Rolling Stones (1974)
The Road Goes On Forever, The Allman Brothers (1975)
Blow By Blow, Jeff Beck (1975)
Physical Graffiti, Led Zeppelin (1975)
Mothership Connection, P-Funk (1975)
Wish You Were Here, Pink Floyd (1975)
Wired, Jeff Beck (1976)
Changesonebowie, David Bowie (1976)
Chronicle, Credence Clearwater Revival
Hejira, Joni Mitchell (1976)
Heavy Weather, Weather Report (1976)
Exodus, Bob Marley & the Wailers (1977)
Solid Gold: 30 Golden Hits, James Brown (1977)
Greatest Hits, Etc, Paul Simon (1977)
Animals, Pink Floyd (1977)
Aja, Steely Dan (1977)
Equalize It, Peter Tosh (1977)
Hard Again, Muddy Waters (1977)
Outlandos d'Amour, The Police (1978)
Some Girls, The Rolling Stones (1978)
London Calling, The Clash (1979)
Mingus, Joni Mitchell (1979)
The Wall, Pink Floyd (1979)
Regatta de Blanc, The Police (1979)
Rickie Lee Jones, Rickie Lee Jones (1979)
1980
Back in Black, AC/DC (1980)
Aretha Sings the Blues, Aretha Franklin (1980)
Peter Gabriel (Melt), Peter Gabriel (1980)
Zenyatta Mondatta, The Police (1980)
Sinsemilla, Black Uhuru (1980)
*release not recording years
NB: Artists like Peter Gabriel, Mutabaruka, Stevie Ray Vaughan, U2, Tom Petty, The Traveling Wilbury's, Rage Against the Machine et al belong to 1981-2021 which is why their albums didn't make the cut. Same with Big Bands from the Swing & Dixieland Eras or Bebop combos of the 40s and Delta / Country Blues players all of whom came before 1955. Yeah, I love a lot of music, and sure I left out plenty of "my favorites" above. Other great musicians like Elmore James, Ray Charles, Johnny Cash, John Lee Hooker, etc are not on my list because I know their work only on compilations released after 1981 and decades since their best music was recorded.
I am very impressed by your list. I know about half of it. The main ones which I don't know are the 1950s and jazz. I do plan to listen to a lot more jazz, but just haven't managed to do so at the present.
Some of the artists which you mention, such as Bob Marley and the Police, I know mainly from compilations. I definitely love Bowie and I think that my favourite album by him is Aladdin Sane, but I do love all his early singles.
I notice that U2 get a mention, even though they are 1980s. They are probably one of my favourite bands and I do love the early albums', especially 'War'. You refer to the Travelling Wilburies; and I do love the first album. I think that Jeff Lynn and Bob Dylan are the only 2 still alive. I am a big Bob Dylan fan and one of my favourites of his is, 'Oh Mercy'. He is probably a better songwriter than singer really.
Btw, I posted this list only today because I accidently came across it on a notepad in my phone which I'd forgotten to post 3-4 months ago. I think I was traveling at the time or wrestling with the damn virus (or both).
I once had a bandcamp where I listed my sole influence as "The Beatles", referring to the White Album, in jest.
My second-favorite song is Fairport Convention's cover of a song that Bob Dylan wrote for Nico Sterling, "I'll Keep It With Mine". I can't tell you my favorite song for reasons that I can't explain.
I don't have a list of favorites, but I really like the Lemon's Chair album, I Hate? I Hope?, Galaxie 500's On Fire, Sonic Youth's Daydream Nation, just about everything by Bob Dylan, The Complete Recordings of Black Tambourine, Bridget St. John, Otomo Yoshihide, The Strapping Fieldhands, Azusa Plane, etc. As the cliché goes, the "list goes on".
Cool list. I at least recognize everyone’s name, but can’t say I’ve listened to many of the albums in full. Cool to see Little Richard in there, I think he’s under appreciated. AC/DC seems surprising somewhat considering the rest of the list. Do you have a similar list for 1980-now?
NB: AC/DC's Back in Black is a sentimental favorite from fun times with my college freshman roommate who was a real "head banger". His name was a Brian, natural comic and killer on guitar; we came from completely different worlds and were thrown together in a dorm room (both studying engineering which neither of us stuck with) and became good friends for a couple of years after. Unavoidably, living in such close quarters, we listened to a lot of each other's preferred musics which irritated us almost as much as it entertained us respectively. I'd lost a wager to him about I don't remember what and so he made me go with him to an AC/DC concert in Rochester, NY in the winter of 1982 when his identical twin brother caught the flu from his girlfriend. It was their Back in Black tour. LOUDEST fuckin' show of my life, almost deaf for a few days afterwards, good good time! :naughty:
I think that Sonic Youth's 'Daydream Nation' is a wonderful album. I think that the late 80s was a great time for music and I love The Fall. But, I am also a big fan of psychedelic music, which had its roots in the 60s and the Beatles. But, as you suggest there is so much of it. I like a lot of prog psychedelia too, including Hawkwind and Gong.